Firstpost Editor's Picks: Rahul Gandhi's entry in Wayanad, The Matrix turns 20, Russia reaching out to Pakistan; today's must-read stories

Lok Sabha Election 2019: Rahul Gandhi's entry in Wayanad may force LDF, NDA to redraw their strategiesSenior Congress leaders, including Congress Working Committee (CWC) member AK Antony, said Rahul’s candidature at Wayanad will have a ripple effect in all the 20 seats in the state and in many seats in the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.Antony has exuded confidence that the presence of the prime ministerial candidate in the state will help the UDF win all 20 seats in Kerala. The pre-poll surveys had predicted 14 to 16 seats for the UDF in the state.The Matrix turns 20: A look back at the everlasting legacy of The Wachowskis' seminal sci-fi action filmThe Matrix, which released 20 years ago today, certainly wasn’t shy about framing its protagonist Thomas Anderson aka Neo (Keanu Reeves) in Catholic terms (if Christ were also a hacker and jiu-jitsu expert, that is). In fact, the film, directed by The Wachowskis (trans women Lana and Lilly, then known as the Wachowski Brothers, Larry and Andy), was’t bashful about any of the pop culture biggies it channelised.Swachh Bharat Abhiyan gives impetus to BMC's solid waste management efforts; Mumbaikars laud schemeMumbai’s size, diversity, and burgeoning population together present their own challenges in implementing waste-to-energy initiatives which are being tried out in other areas. According to data provided by BMC’s ERS report 2017-18, “solid waste generated daily is around 7,200-7,500 metric tonnes. Around 5369 vehicles have been deployed to take waste to the dumping grounds. In the Deonar and Mulund landfills, the garbage is simply dumped and levelled whereas at Kanjurmarg, it is treated using bio-methanation”.Russia's rush of affection for Pakistan could rejig South Asia equation, will discomfit New DelhiNow, Pakistan foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua has come up with a so-called seven-point roadmap for further strengthening ties between Pakistan and Russia, underlining what she felt Russia’s changing position on India-Pakistan military tension. She said “shedding baggage of Cold War history, Pakistan and Russia have been brought into closer orbit of improved communication, better understanding and strategic coordination.”In 'Run From These Slave Traders', Ramanand Sagar writes on women without a countrybelonged to a group of young writers, who were deeply influenced by the Partition and wanted to keep alive the spirit of secularism, along with Ibrahim Jalees, Shamsher Singh Narula and others. The recipient of a gold medal in Sanskrit and Persian from the University of Punjab, he was also the editor of the popular newspaper Daily Milap.